TOUCHÉ

White House ‘Internal Knife Fighting’ Blamed for Pentagon Suspensions

Split in Trump’s inner circle led to Iran attacks being aborted.

The suspension of three top Pentagon aides has been blamed on “internal knife fighting” in Donald Trump’s inner circle.

Right-wing social media influencer Douglass Mackey speculates that a split in the Trump administration, which allegedly led to the president shutting down a planned Israeli attack on Iran, revealed why the officials were placed on administrative leave.

“Internal knife fighting is intensifying,” Mackey posted on X, along with an excerpt from The New York Times detailing the rift.

“Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, J.D. Vance, and Susie Wiles helped shut down Israel/USA joint attack on Iran -- NY Times,” he wrote.

“This probably explains why three of Hegseth’s aides have now been fired for supposed ‘leaks,’” he added

Mackey, who once posted under the alias Ricky Vaughn, was jailed for seven months in 2023 for spreading disinformation on Twitter to try to suppress Democratic turnout in the 2016 election.

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The Times wrote that Israel’s plans for an imminent attack on Iran’s nuclear sites were “waved off” by Trump in favor of more talks after months of internal debate over the best way to tackle the issue.

The discussions highlighted “fault lines” between “hawkish” Trump Cabinet officials and aides skeptical that military action would avoid a larger conflict.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz was reportedly open to the Israeli plans, as was Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and, initially, Trump appeared open to a joint U.S.–Israeli action.

But Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard feared any attack on Iran could get out of hand, and she was supported by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Pentagon boss Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance, said the report.

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National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes told the Times that Trump’s “entire national security leadership team” was on board with the Iran policy.

“President Trump has been clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and all options remain on the table. The president has authorized direct and indirect discussions with Iran to make this point clear. But he’s also made clear this cannot go on indefinitely.”

On Wednesday, a third Pentagon official was put on leave as part of an investigation into leaks, according to a defense official.

Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Freiberg, was suspended a day after Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, both senior Hegseth advisers, were escorted from the building.

Politico reported that the leaks investigated included military plans for the Panama Canal and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon to discuss China.

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David GardnerChief National Correspondent

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